Walking and sitting doll



April 8, 1953 c. WINKLER 2,829,466

WALKING AND SITTING DOLL Filed Nov. 9, 1956 IN I 'EN TOR.

Y Char/es W/hk/er United States PatentO WALKING AND SITTING DOLL Charles Winkler, West Hempstead, N. Y.

Application November 9, 1956, Serial No. 621,358

11 Claims. (Cl. 46-149) The present invention relates to a doll, particularly to a walking doll, and especially to a soft, flexible, hollow bodied walking doll.

Numerous types of walking dolls have heretofore been known. Generally, these dolls were provided with a mechanism that supported the doll legs and normally held them resiliently in forwardly extending position. To simulate the walking movement, such dolls are alternately rested on each leg on a supporting surface and, under contact pressure with such surface each leg is moved into rearwardly directed position from which it is released, to be automatically resiliently urged to forward position again, as its companion leg replaced it on the supporting surface.

However, all such walking dolls as have heretofore been successfully made have been of the rigid torso type, which is capable of supporting the various kinds of relatively involved leg supporting and control mechanisms found necessary in such walking dolls. Attempts to provide soft, flexible bodied dolls, such as vinyl plastic dolls, with leg supporting and controlling mechanism have, heretofore, been unsuccessful.

The present invention is directed to the provision of a soft, flexible, hollow bodied walking doll, such as a walking vinyl plastic doll, that is practical both, from the point of view of economical manufacture and successful operation.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a doll of the character described which willbe able to be placed in and to maintain a sitting position.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a walking and sitting doll of the character described having highly simplified leg supporting and control mechanism that is economical to produce and may be easily andrapidly' assembled and installed in the doll body.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a walking and sitting doll of the character described having improved and simplified means for receiving and holding the leg control mechanism of the invention.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a walking and sitting doll of the character described having improved leg supporting means that permits the smooth and easy movement and pivoting of the leg on the torso and makes possible and practical the use of the simplified leg moving mechanism of the invention.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a walking and sitting doll of the character described which operates surely, efficiently and smoothly andeasily at all times and which is highly economical to produce.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the walking and sitting doll of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the embodiment thereof shown in the accompanying drawing and from the description following. It is to be understood, however, that such embodiment is shown by way of illustration only, to make the principles and 2,829,466 Patented Apr. 8, 1958 ICE practice of the invention more readily comprehensible, and without any intent of limiting the invention to the specific details therein shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional and partly elevational view taken across the width of the torso of a doll embodying the present invention; the legs being shown in fragment;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional and partly elevational view taken across the thickness of the torso of the doll shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view showing the doll in sitting position;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional and partly elevational view through the torso and leg joint of a doll of the present invention, showing the bearing arrangement of such joint; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 55 of Fig. 1.

Referring now in greater detail to the accompanying drawing, the embodiment of the invention therein illustrated includes a doll torso, generally designated as 10, molded of a soft, flexibly resilient material, such'as the vinyl plastic material now largely used for the purpose. The torso 10 is formed, at its upper end, with an upstanding neck 11, having a circular passageway 12 therethrough and provided with a laterally extending annular flange 14 at its upper end, by which it may be engaged within the head of a doll, not thought necessary to be here shown. The torso 10 is also provided at appropriate points in the lower side portions thereof with leg receiving openings 15, into each of which is :set a leg, generally designated as 16, and preferably likewise formed of the same soft and flexibly resilient material.

Each of the legs 16, which may be of conventional shape, is formed at its upper or thigh portion end with a neck portion 18, of circular shape and of reduced diameter relative to the immediately adjacent lower portion of the leg 16 and of slightly lesser diameter than the leg opening 15 into which it is to be fitted. At the upper end of each of the neck portions of legs 16 there is formed a laterally extending flange or collar 19 of greater diameter than the leg opening 15, which is adapted to be pressed through such leg opening and engage against the inner marginal edge portions thereof, to retain the leg 16 on the torso 10. The neck 18 and flange 19 are preferably so formed as to make a groove of substantially rectangular cross section.

To facilitate and provide for the free and smooth movement of each leg 16 in its respective leg opening 15, I provide bearing means consisting of a rigid collar 22, preferably of U-shaped cross section, having side walls 23, providing an annular channel, which collar 22 fits snugly in said groove and frictionally engages the walls thereof. The U-shaped collar 22 may be of smoothsurfaced metal, or rigid synthetic plastic material, or the like. A second circular collar 24, which may be made of similar material as the collar 22, is loosely fitted in the channel of the collar 22, to be easily rotatable therewithin, said collar 24 being of a diameter to fit snugly within and be frictionally engaged by the edges of the leg opening 15. It will be apparent that the bearing surfaces of the collars 22 and 24 will move smoothlyover one another, with a minimum of friction, to an extent not possible with the relatively rough and resilient surfaces on the doll parts.

In order to provide the resilient means for normally maintaining each of the doll legs 16 in forwardly extending position, I provide a post 25, which may be of plastic or wood or metal and which may preferably be of rectangular or other non-cylindrical shape, at least at each end thereof; the lower rectangular end of the post 25 being set in the rectangular well 26, provided in a stud 27 molded on the bottom of the interior of the torso 10. The upper rectangular end of the post 25 is engaged in a plug 28, fitted in the neck opening 12, in a rectangular passageway 29, formed in said plug.

The post 25 is formed, preferably, with a transverse opening 30, at a point near its upper end, through which is passed an elastic element, such as a woven elastic cord 32, and engaged therein by its center, the ends of which may be provided with loops that engage in openings 35, provided in suitable position on the flange 19' of each of the legs 16, or such cord ends may be directly engaged in such openings.

The openings 35 in the flanges 19 are so arranged that the tension of the elastic cord 32 will tend to maintain the legs in forwardly directed position. To assure such tension and direction of the legs 16, the strands of the elastic cord may be engaged by fulcrum means that will bend them in a direction opposite to the normal leg direction, or rearwardly. Such means may comprise an elongated element 36, preferably of wire having a flattened center portion, which may be engaged by its center portion in a slot 37, formed in the post 25, below the opening 30, with each wing thereof rearwardly bent and being preferably coiled at, its end to provide an eyelet 38, through which the cord strands are passed.

In order to make possible the sustained sitting position for the doll of the present invention, the edge portion of the flange of .each leg 16 is widened and flattened, as at 41, to an extent where, when the leg is moved into substantially perpendicular position relative to the torso, the flattened enlargement 41 of the leg flange 19 will engage against the adjacent portion of the torso back which is rear-wardly deflected and provided with a cooperating, substantially flat surface, to be frictionally held thereagainst, to thereby maintain the leg in such perpendicular or sitting position.

This completes the description of the walking and sitting doll of the present invention. It will be apparent that such doll will smoothly and easily be made to simulate walking movements and may be arranged in sustained sitting position. It will also be apparent that the mechanism for making possible the simulation of the walking movement is highly simplified and economical to produce and easy and simple to assembly with the doll torso. It will likewise be apparent that the bearing provided for the joint between the leg and the torso, is relatively simple and economical to produce and easy and simple to assembly with the leg and torso and that it is highly effective to make leg movement on the doll of the invention as well as on other similar dolls, smooth and easy.

It will be further apparent that numerous modifications and variations in the doll of the invention may be made by any one skilled in the art, in accordance with the principles of the invention hereinabove set forth and without the exercise of any inventive ingenuity. I desire, therefore, to be protected for any and all such modifications and variations that may be made within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the claims hereto appended.

What I claim is:

1. In a doll having a hollow, resiliently flexible torso, said torso having circular leg openings formed in the lower side portions thereof, a leg rotatably disposed within each of said openings, each of said legs having a hollow, flexibly resilient upper end portion of greater diameter than said leg opening and having an annular groove formed in said upper end portion of a diameter less than said leg opening, a rigid annular member snugly fitted on the bottom of said groove and a second rigid annular member of slightly greater diameter than said leg opening loosely fitted within said groove about said first annular member and frictionally held by the edge of said leg opening.

2. The doll of claim 1, wherein said annular members have smooth facing surfaces.

3. The doll of claim 1, wherein said groove is of substantially rectangular cross-section and said first annular member is U-shaped and wherein said second annular member fits within said first annular member.

4. In a doll having a hollow, resiliently flexible torso, said torso having circular leg openings formed in the lower side portions thereof, a leg, including a hollow, resiliently flexible upper end portion inserted into each of said leg openings and having an end flange disposed within said torso and engaging against the marginal edge portion of said leg opening, and means for normally maintaining each of said legs resiliently at a forwardly directed angle to the vertical axis of said torso, said means including elastic elements Within said torso and means at an upper portion of the torso interior for supporting said elastic elements, each of said elastic elements at an end portion thereof engaging one of said flanges at a point to one side of the longitudinal axis of the respective leg.

5. In a doll having a hollow, resiliently flexible torso, said torso having leg openings formed in the lower side portions thereof, a leg having the upper end thereof pivotally supported in each of said openings by means including a flange in coaxial relation to the axes of said upper leg portions and which flanges are disposed within said torso, a post supported within said torso substantially in the vertical 'axis thereof, said post being provided with a transverse opening adjacent its upper end, an elongated elastic member having a mid-portion thereof movably disposed in said post opening, and the opposite ends of said elastic member being connected to said flanges.

6. The structure according to claim 5, together with means supported by said post and including guiding eyes disposed between the post and the back wall of said torso, said elastic member extending through said eyes whereby the opposed strands of the elastic member are deflected in a direction opposed to the normal leg direction.

7. In a doll having a hollow, resilient flexible torso and having circular leg openings formed in the lower side portions thereof, a leg having an upper end portion inserted by said end portion into each of said leg openings and having a resilient flange at its said end disposed within said torso and engaging against the marginal edge portions of said leg opening, said upper end portion of said leg having an annular groove formed therein adjoining said flange forming a neck of a diameter less than said neck opening, a rigid annular member of a diameter less than said leg opening fitted on the bottom of said groove, and a second rigid annular member of a diameter slightly greater than said leg opening fitted loosely within said groove about said first named annular member, said second annular member frictionally held by the edge of said leg opening, and means for normally maintaining each of said legs resiliently at a forwardly directed angle to the vertical axis of said torso, said means including elastic elements within said torso and means at an upper portion of the torso interiorfor supporting said elastic elements, each of said elastic elements at an end portion thereof engaging one of said flanges at a point to one side of the longitudinal axis of the respective leg.

8. In a doll having a hollow resiliently flexible torso, said torso having circular leg openings in the lower side portions thereof, a leg, including a hollow, resiliently flexible upper end portion inserted into each of said leg openings and having an end flange disposed within said torso and engaging against the marginal edge portion of said leg opening, and means for normally maintaining each of said legs resiliently at a forwardly directed angle to the vertical axis of said torso, said means including elastic elements within said torso and means at an upper portion of the torso interior for supporting said elastic elements, each of said elastic elements at an end portion thereof engaging one of said flanges at a point to one side of the longitudinal axis of the respective leg, each of said leg flanges having its upper portion widened and provided with a flat edge adapted to engage against the inner surface of said torso when said leg is. disposed in perpendicular relation relative to its vertical axis, to thereby maintain said leg in said perpendicular relation.

9. In a doll or the like having a hollow, resiliently flexible torso, said torso having a circular opening formed therein for rotatably receiving a limb member, a limb member rotatably disposed within said opening, said limb member having a flexibly resilient end portion of greater diameter than said limb opening and having an annular groove formed in said end portion of a diameter less than said limb opening, a rigid annular member snugly fitted on the bottom of said groove and a second rigid annular member of slightly greater diameter than said limb opening loosely fitted within said groove about said first annular member and held by the edge of said limb opening.

10. The doll of claim 9, wherein said annular members have smooth facing surfaces.

11. The doll of claim 9, wherein said groove is of substantially rectangular cross-section and said first annular member is of U-shape and wherein said second annnlar member fits Within said first annular member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,332,355 Olsen et a1 Mar 2, 1920 1,396,321 Coleman Nov. 8, 1921 1,402,463 Wilson Ian. 3, 1922 1,423,382 Zaiden July 18, 1922 1,676,096 Kwasnicki July 3, 1928 1,878,320 Potter Sept. 20, 1932 1,897,914 Schaetfer Feb. 14, 1933 2,098,925 Schaetfer Nov. 9, 1937 2,498,141 Stokes Feb. 21, 1950 2,753,659 Cohn July 10, 1956 

